Awesome Shut-In Necromancer

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“Help me?”

What a ridiculous thing to say. However, it was also a natural reaction for a living being.

“Fine. Let’s go with that.”

Puhwhaak!

“Cough! Cough!”

I was certain I had pierced Lee Ji Cheol’s heart.

Yet, Lee Ji Cheol just spewed out a mixture of blood and other fluids a few times but was still very much alive and kicking.

He looked at me with a puzzled expression as if he didn’t understand what was going on.

“W-why…?”

“I said I would save you. Want me to just kill you instead?”

“…Kuh. No, I was just surprised.”

Seeing that scene, Shin Do Yoon, protected by my magic, suddenly stood up and shouted.

“Hey, cough. Are we not going to kill him?”

As much as I’d like to just off him, there were several reasons to keep Lee Ji Cheol alive.

Even though he was an idiot, he was a significant resource in Korea, and I happened to need a useful pawn.

A decent piece to keep Chae Hwa In, who could bounce around unpredictably, in check.

And the final reason, which was actually the most important.

“You still don’t know what that guy you made a contract with is really planning.”

“What?”

“In other words, I don’t know if killing him would be good for me or not.”

This was obvious.

Why would I willingly do something beneficial for others?

Anyway, since I had successfully subdued him completely, if he wanted something, now it was his turn to respond.

“…Cough, what if he messes with me because I couldn’t fulfill the contract?”

“Then you die.”

“Damn it, I had forgotten you were such a crazy woman.”

Ignoring the despairing Shin Do Yoon, I approached Lee Ji Cheol, who had collapsed again, and casually spoke to him.

“Don’t get too comfortable. It’s not over yet. The reactions will start showing soon…”

“What are you talking about… Cough!”

As I spoke, Lee Ji Cheol suddenly widened his eyes and grabbed his own neck, starting to struggle.

The hemolysis I infused into Lee Ji Cheol’s heart was reacting.

“Cough! Cough! What the hell…!”

Lee Ji Cheol was in so much pain that he kept banging his head against the ground, continuously vomiting blood.

Thud.

Thud.

Crash.

And when all the changes settled, Lee Ji Cheol’s skin had turned as hard as dragon scales.

“Congratulations. You’re not dead. Now you are a proper Dragonkin.”

“Cough, pant. Dragonkin?”

“Yeah. You’ll just end up being bound to me due to a contract.”

Having realized that there were quite a few formidable necromancers in this world besides me, I couldn’t feel safe with just a pitiful soul contract.

Yet, I couldn’t just turn Lee Ji Cheol into an Undead either, so this was the best choice I could take.

“Now, shall we negotiate again?”

I returned to face Shin Do Yoon, bent down to meet his eyes, and addressed whoever might be watching us through him.

“If you want something, come out and talk directly.”

It was impossible before, but now that I had partially released my power, I could definitely feel some sort of connection with Shin Do Yoon.

Perhaps my words were conveyed, for Shin Do Yoon suddenly rolled his eyes back and fainted.

Maybe he was trying to relay a message from the spirit world.

“If you’re coming, hurry up. My patience won’t last long.”

A few minutes passed, and as Shin Do Yoon regained consciousness, he looked at me and Lee Ji Cheol and quietly opened his mouth.

“…Who are you? Why am I here?”

“……”

The response chosen by the mysterious entity was none other than an erasure of memory and an escape.

#

After that, I tried hard, but Shin Do Yoon ultimately couldn’t recollect anything. He only remembered that he was a Returner and the time he spent in a Guild, with no trace of the mysterious entity or our contract remaining in his memory.

‘What a petty guy.’

I wonder why it’s such a problem to see one face; it was almost a waste of the impressive title of a mysterious entity.

However, after hounding Lee Ji Cheol, whom I had enlisted through a contract, I had now definitely uncovered another objective of that mysterious entity.

‘Who would have thought Lee Ji Cheol had ties with Hades?’

If that were the case, I could bet that entity was not pleased with Hades’ ancient summoning plan.

Inadvertently, our objectives overlapped.

‘Since we’ve crossed paths once, we will surely meet again someday.’

Besides, there was an even more pressing issue at hand.

The backlash from forcibly restoring my power with necromancy was more severe than expected.

“Master, are you still in that state?”

“Yeah. It’s already been five days.”

The penalty for forcibly releasing the seal on my power was that I couldn’t draw any power for a certain period.

“Surely, it won’t be permanent, right?”

“I don’t think so. I have a feeling it will come back someday.”

However, not knowing when it would return was frustrating. It felt doubly uncomfortable to be without what I used to have, making it hard to endure.

‘Who would have thought I’d end up having to align fish bones with my hands again…’

Because of that, I was in a very irritable state. If someone touched me, I was ready to cause a ruckus right then and there.

“Want some strawberry ice cream?”

“…Give it here.”

In case something unpleasant happened in the meantime, I had been living with someone by my side for 24 hours straight.

The day I went to catch Lee Ji Cheol, I naturally couldn’t avoid being found out by Seo Ha, and in the end, I had to lay everything bare and beg for forgiveness, which meant I ended up looking like a preschool child with a guardian.

“Why do you keep getting involved in these messes without saying anything?”

“The other party is poking around first, so should I just endure it?”

“You tell me to endure every time…”

“You’re weak.”

That was not the demeanor of a Lord of Death. A true challenge should be faced head-on, without avoidance, crushing the opponent. That is the proper attitude of a lord.

Having recollected the memories of the time when I had my original powers, I was now back to being mentally and spiritually strong as I was during that time.

Having finally overcome long-held grievances, I had been reborn as the true Lord of Death.

“Yeah. I was actually too patient until now. This isn’t the appearance of a cruel and cold lord.”

“Do you want some banana milk?”

“…Give it here.”

However, it was also undeniable that temporary power wasn’t true power.

Especially the risks involved with the stimulation from necromancy were too great.

To think I would become useless for days without being able to do anything after using it—what kind of sense does that make?

I would use it when necessary, but it seemed wiser to keep it as a secret weapon that wouldn’t be overused.

“How’s the party? Is it running smoothly without me?”

“Yeah. Everyone still misses you since you’re not around.”

“Don’t worry. As soon as I regain my power, I’ll focus solely on the dungeon for a while.”

Having already been intoxicated by the euphoric power, I had become someone who could never return to the past.

Now, I would refuse to prance around with a measly amount of power. I would regain my strength as quickly as possible and showcase my greatness to the entire world.

Ding!

[A Rank dungeon has once again emerged near the military base in Cheorwon, Gangwon Province. Details are under investigation, and plans to form a united strategy team from nearby guilds are underway.]

“Certainly, the number has been increasing lately. A Rank dungeons.”

“…Wasn’t it six just this week?”

“Yeah. Compared to two months ago, that’s a 50% increase.”

What that meant, I couldn’t say for sure. But it was clear that it wasn’t good news for humanity.

I picked up my smartphone and dialed a number. It was for Joseph, an information broker considered one of the best in Europe and a gaming friend.

Ding!

Ding!

Tick!

[Ah, hey, it’s dawn here. Didn’t I tell you that? What’s going on this time?]

“I was just wondering if there’s anything special going on. I heard the number of high-level dungeons has increased.”

[High-level dungeons… Sure, there are loads of rumors floating around.]

Joseph paused for a moment, then leaned in as if to share a secret.

[While not 100% certain, there’s data suggesting that the overall generation of lower dungeons has decreased and that rate is being shifted to higher dungeons.]

“So it’s not just my imagination; they really are increasing?”

[Yeah. At this rate, an S Rank dungeon could emerge somewhere soon.]

Regardless of their ranks, S Rank dungeons were disasters by nature.

If an S Rank dungeon happened to appear, no matter where it was, chaos would surely ensue.

“Let me know right away if one really pops up.”

[Why should I?]

“Then let’s clear it together like we promised with Bolt Action 4.”

[Damn it, fine! Why are you so obsessed with that ridiculous game?]

Ending the call as I listened to Joseph’s frustrated lament, I put my smartphone back in my pocket and stared blankly at the ceiling.

‘…….’

Regardless of what happened, the things I had to do wouldn’t change.

I slowly got up and made my way to my room, warning Song Ha Yeon.

“I’m going to turn off the ring and sleep, so don’t come in until I say it’s okay.”

“Ah, but you need to do your chores first! Seo Ha will scold me!”

A peculiar premonition that the flow of the world, which had briefly paused, was now moving rapidly again.

With unfounded predictions that many things would change soon, I waited patiently for the day my power returned, slowly slipping into sleep.